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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25561612">Liesmith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TMA/MCU Crossover [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Beholding give me strength how do I tag this, Dear god what have I done, Gen, Jon is tired, Spiral!Loki, hungry jon, it's not as weird as it sounds, set during the first avengers movie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25561612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick Fury needs Loki to start talking. Fortunately, Coulson knows someone who can compel people to answer any question they ask. Unfortunately, no one told him Gertrude Robinson was dead, and the new Archivist is still struggling to get a grip on his new diet.</p>
<p>Or, Jon interrogates Loki for SHIELD in exchange for a statement on how the original Liesmith first encountered a door that doesn't exist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TMA/MCU Crossover [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Liesmith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jonathan Sims sat still as he waited to be called inside, a battered tape recorder clutched tightly in his unburnt hand. The agent by the door shot nervous glances at his back when he thought he could get away with it, trying to catch the shift in his shoulder that might indicate he breathed. A shift of weight, a twitch of a finger, <em>anything</em> that might suggest a living person waited on the bench.</p>
<p>The agent beside him knew better. Had seen just enough to know not to look too closely at things that looked like people but didn’t seem to breathe. This Jon Knew. A brush with something she couldn’t explain chased her into law enforcement, seeking to piece together the clues to a bigger picture where none existed. A glimpse of an aftermath sparked her curiosity, but a closer look at what really lurked in the Dark sent her running into SHIELD’s waiting arms. Already Jon knew every detail of the encounter, but he ached in a visceral way to hear it aloud. Her voice or his, volunteered or taken. The Archive didn't discriminate.</p>
<p>His grip on the tape recorder tightened just enough to make the plastic groan, but her stare never shifted from the wall in front of her.</p>
<p>“Mr Sims?”</p>
<p>Jon stood, abrupt enough to make the first agent flinch. He swayed on his feet, but his eyes never lost their alertness. When he happened to make eye contact as he left the room, it occurred to the agent that he looked in need of a decent meal. The man shuddered at the thought, though he didn’t know why. Jon Knew, and he wished he didn’t.</p>
<p>“Everything’s set up. Are you sure you don’t—”</p>
<p>“We’ve been over this, Agent Coulson,” he snapped. “Record the incident however you see fit, but electronic devices don’t cope well with…my methods. The tape recorder will do just fine for my purposes.”</p>
<p>The agent almost looked amused. “Your predecessor favoured tape recorders as well.”</p>
<p>If Jon understood them himself, he might have felt compelled to offer up some sort of justification. As it was, he only shrugged.</p>
<p>“I’ll need at least twenty minutes for the statement. Maybe a little more,” he said as they stepped into the room containing the cell, only just catching himself before he licked his lips. It wouldn’t do to seem to eager…but how <em>long</em> had it been since he’d taken a live statement now?</p>
<p><em>Too long</em>, he Knew, but he suspected this one would be worth the wait.</p>
<p>“And for our questions?” Coulson asked pointedly. <em>Damn</em>.</p>
<p>“No more than a minute or two.”</p>
<p>“…I’m not entirely sure you understand exactly what—”</p>
<p>“I thought you said you were acquainted with my predecessor?” Jon said sharply.</p>
<p>“I’m aware of Gertrude Robinson’s…<em>unique</em> skillset but—”</p>
<p>“You will get the answers to your questions, Agent Coulson, just as soon as I get the answers to mine.”</p>
<p>Information on Loki for information on the Tesseract. A more than reasonable trade, as far as SHIELD were concerned.</p>
<p>Coulson frowned, but said nothing else as he stepped back outside the doors. “If anything seems amiss, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Jon said, not bothering to watch him leave. He Knew when the door closed behind Agent Coulson, leaving him alone with the guards and the thing that called itself Loki.</p>
<p>The tape recorder in his hand clicked on without his interference.</p>
<p>“My name is Jonathan Sims. I’ve been asked to interview you regarding an object that you stole.”</p>
<p>Loki stared, unblinking until at last he broke his silence with a scoff.</p>
<p>“And you are the best they have come up with?” he asked, eyes alight with amusement. “The finest humanity has to offer?"</p>
<p>"I sincerely hope not."</p>
<p>Loki snorted. “Pathetic.”</p>
<p>Jon tapped the recorder as he approached the glass, ignoring the shifting agents by the door. Breathing deep, he reached for the well of knowledge behind the door for a subject line.</p>
<p>“<em>How long have you served the Twisting Deceit?</em>”</p>
<p>“I have always served the Twisting Deceit,” Loki replied without hesitation. “As long as my tongue has formed words, I have used it to deceive."</p>
<p>His face grew deathly pale as he realised what he’d said, eyes widening in surprise.</p>
<p>“You’re not human.”</p>
<p>“I am the Archivist, and I have come to take your statement.” Hesitantly, Jon added, “I think it would be better for both of us if you gave it willingly.”</p>
<p>“Oh? And why is that?”</p>
<p>“Self-control isn’t my strong suit,” he admitted, fiddling with the tape recorder in his hand.</p>
<p>When he looked back, he was surprised to find curiosity burning in Loki’s eyes.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t aware there were Midgardians who still pledged themselves to the All-Knowing.”</p>
<p>“And I can’t say I expected to interview an alien from Norse Mythology today. Life is full of surprises.”</p>
<p>Loki laughed, cold and hollow. “Every Eye has its blind spots, Archivist. None more than the one that Sees all.”</p>
<p>Jon paused. “<em>Do you have…an Archivist where you’re from?</em>”</p>
<p>“Not an Archivist,” Loki admitted, and for a moment Jon could almost convince himself he looked human. Before he smiled, and his features twisted into something sharp. “But the Gatekeeper is certainly a devoted puppet.”</p>
<p>Jon’s hand twitched.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid I’m going to have to hurry this along. The agents outside are likely to get…<em>irritable</em> if I take too long.”</p>
<p>Loki hummed as his eyes flicked towards the door. “They are impatient creatures. Very well, Archivist. What is it you would like to know?”</p>
<p>Jon breathed deep, and at once he Knew. “Statement of Loki Odinson regarding their affiliation with the Twisting Deceit.”</p>
<p>Loki’s lip curled in distaste.</p>
<p>“I am no son of Odin.”</p>
<p>“…My apologies,” Jon amended, reaching for another name to use. “Statement of Loki Laufeyson—”</p>
<p>A fist hit the glass as his face twisted into a savage snarl. “You have the gall to <em>mock</em> me you—”</p>
<p>“A statement needs a <em>name</em>,” Jon snapped back, irritation rising up as once again his introduction was cut short. “Is ‘Loki’ on its own inoffensive enough?”</p>
<p>Loki blinked, a wariness slowly creeping across his face to sap some of the intensity from his gaze.</p>
<p>“It will suffice,” he relented with some reluctance, and Jon let out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>“Statement of Loki regarding their affilition with the Twisting Deceit. Statement recorded direct from subject, 26<sup>th</sup> of April 2012,” he said, as if his mouth were moulded to speak those very words. “Statement begins.”</p>
<p>Loki stared at the tape recorder. Then, more softly, he asked, “And where exactly would you like me to begin?”</p>
<p>“<em>When did you first encounter the spiral?</em>”</p>
<p>“The <em>spiral?</em> Is that what you Midgardians call it? An apt enough name, I suppose. But so…<em>limiting</em>.”</p>
<p>“<em>Answer the question.</em>”</p>
<p>Loki sighed. “Very well. As I told you before, I was a child, though old by your standards, perhaps. My father used to tell me I was born telling lies, and in a way I suppose that’s true enough. Looking back, he fed me lies from the time I was old enough to hear them. I may have inherited my magic from my mother, but I suspect I inherited my silver tongue from him.”</p>
<p>He paused, frowning. “Is this truly the story you want to hear, Archivist? Millenia old tales of childhood deceptions? Surely I could offer you something <em>fresher</em>.”</p>
<p>“<em>How did you find out about the entities?</em>” Jon pressed, and Loki’s lip curled again.</p>
<p>“I…read between the lines, so to speak. Our history books make mention of the All-Father’s sacrifice, an eye in exchange for the All-Seeing that allowed him to win the war against the Frost Giants. The Gatekeepers who have serviced our world by keeping their ceaseless gaze fixed upon all the realms beneath Asgard’s rule…in time I began to notice the other threads. The power of violence is one that flows through my so-called brother to this day, a power that once fuelled the All-Father too, I am sure.</p>
<p>“Of course, the Twisting Deceit is more difficult to discern. I could not tell you the exact moment I began to speculate on it, only that by the time I discovered the first door, it only served to cement my suspicions. It strengthened my illusions, which I in turn utilised to deceive the senses of others. Small pranks at first, easy enough to brush off as childish antics…but there were a few I pushed too far. Of course, it would be years before I submitted myself to it completely.”</p>
<p>Jon resisted the urge to growl in frustration. “You’re <em>resisting</em>.”</p>
<p>Loki blinked, feigning innocence. “I’m answering your questions, am I not?”</p>
<p>“<em>Tell me what you’re holding back</em>.”</p>
<p>And at last, Loki told him about the door.</p>
<p>He fought for every word, straining to hold his own silver tongue, but the Compulsion won out, and as he glared at Jon he described the sleepy summer afternoon on which he discovered a door that shouldn’t have been. For all the years that had passed, he still recalled it with near perfect clarity. How the yellowish wood should have appeared dull surrounded by polished gold, but how it gleamed far brighter than anything else. His eagerness as a child to learn and explore, despite his mother’s warnings.</p>
<p>When he heard the sweet songs the hallways sang, he never even stood a chance.</p>
<p>And oh how they <em>sang</em>, and Loki followed their twisting corridors without a second thought for the world he left behind. Danced across a carpet splashed in colours beyond what his eye could register, yet he still saw their every glaring shade splashed across the insides of his eyelids. Their fierce brightness scorched his eyes, and his tears fell upwards to soak his hair as he laughed and laughed and laughed.</p>
<p>His eyes were wet when he described its majesty, and how the serving boy screamed himself hoarse when Loki stumbled back out of the door and shared its magnificence with him. Bitterness still laced his words when he spoke of that boy, and the ugly words he spat when Loki began to babble about the unfathomable brilliance of having your senses unravel around you.</p>
<p>The serving boy called him insane, so he filled his eyes with so much colour it rendered them blind. He didn’t have to push the boy through the door, not <em>really</em>. All it took was a little nudge in the right direction, and the illusion of the right voice to beckon him. He cried as he staggered towards the source of those sweet and soothing words, arms outstretched and reaching for someone he’d never find. The hallways swallowed him, and the Twisting Deceit was oh so generous in its gratitude for being so heartily fed.</p>
<p>Loki’s illusions, so perfectly suited for tricking the senses, made the task of feeding it all the more straight forward. He had to be subtler with his offerings closer to home, of course. Small pranks that could be excused as childish antics, or illusions subtle enough to cast doubt on the senses without tipping his hand.</p>
<p>In the battlefield, no one seemed to mind when he left his enemies so unhinged they could no longer form the words to express their desire for a swift end to the suffering. The door appeared sparingly, but he fed it generously whenever it graced him with its presence. Once he even managed to warp the senses of an enemy scouting party so completely that they wandered in of their own volition, oblivious even after the door sealed their fate by swinging shut behind them.</p>
<p>When he fell from the Bifrost, he died in the realm of the Great Expanse. Its beauty should have dazzled him, but the infinite void seemed so very bland compared to the kaleidoscope of colours the Twisting Deceit promised to paint across his skin. It was no choice at all, really.</p>
<p>Loki sagged in relief when at last he was allowed to rest. Jon understood, of course. Knew the pain of having the truth plucked from the very throat of deception, but his empathy couldn’t overwhelm his own satisfaction.</p>
<p>“Statement ends,” he said, still dizzy from the high of his first real meal in <em>months</em>. He’d almost forgotten what it felt to be satiated, the constant gnawing hunger still present at the corners of his mind now sluggish and quieter in its demands. If not for the circumstances, he would close his eyes to savour it.</p>
<p>“You could have chosen to die,” he sighed, almost without thinking.</p>
<p>“Pardon?”</p>
<p>“On the bridge. You said the spiral was the obvious choice, but it wasn’t your only one. You could have chosen to die, but you didn’t.”</p>
<p>Loki raised an eyebrow. “Would you?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t.”</p>
<p>A sombre silence fell over the pair. An eye and a silvertongue, both buried deep beneath their respective facades.</p>
<p>At least Loki was honest about being a liar.</p>
<p>“Right,” Jon said as he switched off the tape recorder and ejected the tape, sliding a fresh one inside. “That was…Thank you.”</p>
<p>Loki stared, face gaunt and eyes empty as they watched him.</p>
<p>“SHIELD provided me with a list of questions I’m supposed to ask you. Once we’re finished with that, I’ll be out of your hair. For good.”</p>
<p>“Fine. Let us be done with this.”</p>
<p>“<em>Where is the Tesseract?</em>”</p>
<p>“Gone. I placed it in the care of agent Barton, I do not know where he has brought it.”</p>
<p>“<em>Why did you steal it?</em>”</p>
<p>“Because…” he swallowed thickly, fighting the words even as they formed in his throat and dragged over his tongue like a razor blade. “Because I…was…told…to.”</p>
<p>“<em>By whom?</em>”</p>
<p>“Thanos.”</p>
<p>“<em>Is that name supposed to mean something?</em>”</p>
<p>“It will,” he said grimly. “You may call us who follow the Twisting Deceit insane, but the depths of his depravity go far deeper than the twisting of the senses.”</p>
<p>“<em>What do you mean?</em>”</p>
<p>“He seeks to court Death.”</p>
<p>Jon blinked. “<em>He’s an avatar of the End?</em>”</p>
<p>“In a sense.”</p>
<p>They ran through a few more questions, and for the most part Loki was too tired and defeated to wrestle with him over them. When at last they finished, the only thing keeping him from succumbing to exhaustion and falling to his knees was pure spite.</p>
<p>“I wish I could say I’ve enjoyed working with you, but frankly, I haven’t.”</p>
<p>“I will try not to take that personally,” Loki said with a shadow of his sharp smile. Not for the first time, Jon wondered if he would meet this god again in their dreams. Twirling the cassette between his fingers, he headed for the door and tried to ignore the guards all but quaking in their boots.</p>
<p>When he shot one last glance over his shoulder, the god looked decidedly aged. He stared, and in the moment of their eyes meeting, Jon swore he saw a brilliant spiral of colour spark deep within his glazed blue eyes.</p>
<p><em>One of these days I’ll take a real vacation</em>, he thought forlornly as he stepped through the door. For now though, he would settle for a nap.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This might be the weirdest crossover I've ever written but between relistening to TMA, rewatching the first Avengers movie, and listening to The Bifrost Incident I just could not get my brain to shut up about this. I wrote this in a single sitting and I'm currently posting at about 3am, but I hope you enjoyed regardless!</p>
<p>Now if only I could get my brain to stop badgering me about how Tony is 100% affiliated with the Vast.</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759132">A Tug in the Gut</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallbear99/pseuds/smallbear99">smallbear99</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</div></div></div>
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